Quality Air Solutions

Heatless Desiccant Dryers Overview

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What is Adsorption?
Basic Definitions
Adsorption is a process that occurs when a gas or liquid solute
accumulates on the surface of a solid or, more rarely, a liquid
(adsorbent), forming a molecular or atomic film (the adsorbate).
It is different from absorption, in which a substance diffuses into a
liquid or solid to form a solution.

The term sorption encompasses both processes, while desorption is
the reverse process
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What is Adsorption?
Basic Definitions
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Desiccant bead
Pores
Saturated air
Air with
decreased
moisture content
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
The Working Principle - Desiccant

Water molecules are transported into the pores trough diffusion.
Molecules are accumulated on the pore surface due to:
Physical binding
Chemical binding
Capillary-condensation
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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Basic Definitions
Activated alumina
Molecular sieve (zeolites)
Silica gel

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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Basic Definitions
Activated Alumina:
is manufactured from aluminum hydroxide by dehydroxydating it
in a way that produces a highly porous material; this material can
have a surface area significantly over 200 square metres/g.
The compound is used as a desiccant and as a filter of fluoride,
arsenic and selenium in drinking water. It is made of aluminum
oxide (alumina; Al2O3), the same chemical substance as
sapphire and rubies (but without the impurities that give those
gems their color).

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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Basic Definitions
Silica gel:
is a granular, porous form of silica made synthetically from
sodium silicate. Despite the name, silica gel is a solid.

Silica gel's high surface area (around 800 m/g) allows it to
adsorb water readily, making it useful as a desiccant (drying
agent). Once saturated with water, the gel can be regenerated by
heating to 150 C (300 F). Some types of silica gel will "pop"
when exposed to enough water.

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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Basic Definitions
Molecular sieve:
A molecular sieve is a material containing tiny pores of a precise and uniform size that is used as an
adsorbent for gases and liquids.
Molecules small enough to pass through the pores are adsorbed while larger molecules are not. It is
different from a common filter in that it operates on a molecular level. For instance, a water molecule may
be small enough to pass through while larger molecules are not. Because of this, they often function as a
desiccant. A molecular sieve can adsorb water up to 22% of its own weight.
Often they consist of aluminosilicate minerals, clays, porous glasses, microporous charcoals, zeolites,
active carbons, or synthetic compounds that have open structures through which small molecules, such
as nitrogen and water can diffuse.
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Mass Transfer Zone
Basic definitions
In an adsorber vessel, the transfer of water from the flow of air to the molecular sieves takes
place in the mass transfer zone (MTZ).
The mass transfer zone is that section of the adsorber bed in which the water load from the
air flow is deposited on the drying medium, thereby reducing the level of humidity from the
inlet concentration to that at the outlet.
The width of the mass transfer zone is primarily a function of flow velocity, inlet and outlet
concentration of the drying medium and the type of drying medium.
The mass transfer zone migrates with increasing saturation from the inlet side to the outlet
side of the adsorber vessel. Once the upper limit of the mass transfer zone reaches the end
of the adsorber bed, the break-through of moisture commences.
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Why Use Different Desiccant ?
What Desiccant Do We Use in Heatless Desiccant Dryers?
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Choice Of Desiccant
Different desiccants have different levels of water attraction
The greater the attraction, the better pressure dew point is possible, but
the more purge is needed to regenerate the desiccant.
Most desiccant cannot provide a -70C PDP
Desiccant that can provide a -70C PDP is more expensive
We dont want the customer to pay for something thats not needed
For PDPs of -20 to -40C PDP Activated Alumina
For PDPs of -70C PDP Molecular Sieve
We balance performance with capital investment and ongoing running cost
through purge air
For smallest dryers Molecular Sieve is used as due to small amount of
desiccant the cost of it is not critical
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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Basic Definitions
Equilibrium Adsorption of Water
Vapor from Atmospheric Air at
25C on
(A) Alumina (Granular);
(B) Alumina (Spherical);
(C) Silica Gel;
(D) 5A Zeolite;
(E) (E) Activated Carbon
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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Adsorbing capacity
The usable capacity of molecular sieves is
largely unimpaired by a rise in
temperature. Other drying media, on the
other hand, show considerably higher
capacity losses with rising operating
temperature, as shown in diagram
Within the normal pressure range of the
usual industrial compressed air systems,
the operating pressure has little
significance for the performance of
molecular sieves
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Classic commercial adsorbents for water.
Desiccant aging
Adsorbent Aging is a gradual reduction of its adsorption capacity.
Two types of aging exist:
- Hydrothermal aging is an irreversible change of adsorbent structure caused by
hydrothermal treatment during regeneration, resulting in reduced active area. Aging
is therefore dependent on the number of regenerations and quality of the adsorbent.
The rate of adsorption capacity reduction is more rapid at the beginning of the
adsorbents life. With time, the rate stabilizes.
- Aging from contamination caused by coadsorption of undesired species and coke
formation on the active surface of the adsorbent. This phenomenon is not
completely reversible, and carbon deposits increase with each regeneration
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What Is A Desiccant Dryer ?
Operating Principal (heatless dryers)
Dryer consists of two towers of desiccant
Water vapor attracted more to desiccant than the
compressed air
Air travels through one tower until desiccant
saturated with water vapor
Meanwhile second tower totally regenerated by dry
purge air
Outlet flow is therefore around 82% of inlet flow
Dryer consumes almost no electrical energy
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Air enters the dryer through a series of filters,
which are necessary to avoid that the
desiccant becomes poisoned from
contamination - which prevents it working
The valve system directs
the air into the live
vessel only, and is
responsible for switching
the towers over when
regeneration is complete
The wet compressed air
enters the live tower
from the bottom. The
desiccant removes the
moisture from the air as
it travels upwards
Once the air reaches the top of
the tower it is completely dry,
with a typical PDP of -40F/-40F
A small amount of the dried air,
controlled via a small nozzle, is
passed into the regenerating tower
The dryer air leaves the dryer
through a filter, which
removes any residual
desiccant dust. The air is now
ready for use in sensitive
applications
The purge air enters the
regenerating tower from the
top. As it travels downwards it
removes the water from the
desiccant, and finally exists the
tower through a silencer
The Towers Switch Over Every 3-6
Minutes Depending On The Model
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
The Working Principle
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Wet air from the compressor flows UP the tower. This means that gravity will encourage the
water, already collected from the air, down the tower and away from the dry desiccant.
More water exists at the bottom of the tower than at the top.
A small amount of the dried air, is feed through the purge line DOWNWARDS through the
wet tower. Water is concentrated at the bottom of the tower due to the direction of the
wet air.

The downward direction of the purge air means that the bulk of the water in the tower
does not have to pass through the bulk of the desiccant. The moisture only has to travel
a short distance before its ejected.
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
The Working Principle - Flow Direction

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sec.
20 40 60 80 100 120 30 50 70 90 110 10
2
4
6
8
l/s
Desiccant Purging
1/2 CYCLE TIME
Equalisation
The Desiccant Purging part of
the cycle is required to dry the
desiccant material.

Dry purge air from the live
tower removes the water from
the desiccant as it passes down
through the regenerating
tower, where it finally exits via
a silencer.
Directly after the regeneration is finished the exit valve is closed and the tower Equalises.
This process is required so that when the towers switch over there is not a huge drop in
pressure and a shock/pulse against the desiccant.
Actual Purge Consumption
Average Purge Consumption
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
The 2 Phases Of The Purge Process
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The Purge Process - Quantitative Summary
Purge Air Used For Drying Desiccant = 18% - 20% of inlet capacity
Purge Air Used To Equalise The Beds = 9% - 10 %
Average Purge Air Used Over Complete Purge Cycle = 15%-18% of inlet capacity
+
=
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Purge Loss Calculation - Phase 2 Re-Pressurization
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No one wants to use more purge air than necessary, but if not enough is used the dryer
performance will be unreliable, and in some cases will even cause the pressure dew point to
crash. If this happens, the desiccant can be ruined.
The CD range of dryers uses a self cleaning,
integrated nozzle to control the amount of
purge air used.


The purge on a CD dryer is carefully
calculated, and accurately published, to
ensure that the dryer provides the quoted
performance reliably, even when operating
conditions change.
Purge Nozzle
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Why Do We Quote 18% Purge Loss ?
This simple device is not only very reliable,
but also maintenance free and self cleaning.
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Demand
Air demand and purge consumption
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Minute of the day
l
/
s
41 l/s
25 l/s (55%)
8 l/s ( 18%)
102 l/s
25 l/s ( 25%)
18 l/s (18%)
CD 140 Std Purge Flow CD 140 With Purge Control
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Dewpoint Dependant Purge Control - What Is The Energy Saving ?
Energy is saved through
the reduction of purge air.
Purge air is saved during
the waiting time between
the moment that the vessel
becomes pressurized, and
the moment that it once
again starts drying the air
The time is dependant on
4 main parameters:
Required pressure dew
point
Inlet temperature
Inlet pressure
Air demand
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Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Cut Costs Via The Purge Saver System
Cubicle for Timer
Controlled version
For those dryers that do not have Elektronikon there is
another way to save energy - using the Energy
Management Contact (P4 contact) which is supplied as
standard on all Atlas Copco Timer Controlled CD Dryers:

This contact allows the compressor and dryer to be
electronically connected, meaning that when the
compressor unloads the dry is paused. When the
compressor starts again the dryer resumes operation
where it left off.

Using this contact will reduce the purge air consumption
proportionally with the load cycle of the compressor,
significantly reducing running costs.
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Oil Free Compressor Range
FAD for standard ZT1 units at 8.6 bar (at 50 Hz)
ZT37 ZT30 ZT22 ZT
ZT37 - VSD
Variable speed
2 25 100 300 1050 l/s
Complete CD Dryer Range
CD2-17

Compressors 2-350 kW (2.7-470 HP)

CD25-100 CD 110-300 CD 390-1050
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
A Broad & Deep Range Allows Us To Offer The Optimum Solution
Smallest - CD 2 = 2 l/s or 4.24 cfm
Largest - CD 1050 = 1050 l/s or 2226
cfm
Units available with different PDPs,
options and control systems
All variants available in 11 bar (159 psi)
versions
CD2-300 available in 16 bar (232 psi)
versions
All variants available 50/60 Hz and
230/110V
Various pressure approvals available -
CE, ASME, DIR, SQL, UDT
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Desiccant beds become
saturated more quickly
Either pressure dew point
suffers or Inlet flow must
be reduced.
Increase in purge air
temperature means that
the same amount of purge
air can remove more water.
If you de-rate the dryer due to an increased inlet temperature, there is no extra wetness in the desiccant
bed. However, the purge air flow remains constant (fixed nozzle) and is warmer, meaning that it has more
water removal capacity. Theoretically this means that purge flow could be reduced.
What Does This Mean...
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - Increase Inlet Temperature
(but nothing else)

If the inlet flow to the dryer is not reduced, the desiccant becomes extra wet, meaning that a -40C PDP is
not maintained. This extra wetness can be removed because the purge air is also warmer and therefore has
greater water holding capacity
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The capacity of a dryer is
based on the actual flow
at inlet, not FAD.
Therefore the lower the
inlet pressure the less
FAD can be processed
The purge nozzle allows a
fixed actual flow,
regardless of pressure.
This means that as
pressure decreases the
amount of purge
available, once expanded
to atmospheric pressure,
is less.
If the FAD inlet flow is not decreased, the actual volume of air going through the dryer will increase. Therefore
the speed of the air through the dryer also increases above the nominal speed which damages the desiccant.
As there is more actual air flow through the dryer, the desiccant bed becomes extra wet.
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - Decrease Inlet Pressure
(but nothing else)

What Does This Mean...
A lower pressure are dryer inlet also reduces the amount of purge air available, with the result
that not even a normally wet bed can be regenerated. An extra wet bed will cause the dew point
to crash even quicker. The dryer must be de-rated to account for this reduction in purge air.
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When air passes through a
regenerated desiccant bed,
the PDP is -40C. This is
fixed due to the properties
and amount of the
desiccant in the vessel
The purge flow is fixed
so that at nominal
conditions it will remove
a fixed amount of water
from the desiccant bed.
If nothing else changes, increasing the PDP will not facilitate an increase in flow through the
dryer. Although with a DPS version it will increase the waiting time between the vessel
changeover.

In the event that there is also a higher inlet temperature, an increased PDP will mean a smaller
correction factor.
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - Increase Required PDP
(but nothing else)

What Does This Mean...
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DO
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - Using Correction Factors
Remember that everyone is governed by the same laws of physics and
the same limitations. There cannot be huge variations in performance from
one vendor to another.
Take into account that to a certain degree you can balance a high dryer
inlet temperature with a worse pressure dew point. That is, the de-rating
factor does not have to be so big, if a worse PDP can be tolerated.
Remember that a dryer must be de-rated if the actual inlet pressure is
likely to fall below the nominal inlet pressure.
Use the sizing program
Allow the inlet flow, for any model, to exceed the nominal flow
Forget that a worse PDP does not allow an increase in inlet flow, except
where the inlet flow is at a higher than nominal temperature
DONT
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Things To Remember About The Selection Program:
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - Using Correction Factors
Calculations are extremely accurate and based on actual test data

There is a big safety factor built into the model selection at high
temperatures, so for inlet temperatures above 45C check with Airpower
on the sizing. Sometimes there may be possibility to reduce the model
size

For inlet temperatures over 50C molecular sieve desiccant has to be
used, as activated alumina will caramelize at this temperature
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Why is it that you cannot
up rate the dryer for inlet
temperature below 35C
?
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - A Question
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The Answer:
Heatless Desiccant Dryer
Performance Recalculation - A Question
You cannot push more than the nominal flow through the dryer because
the pressure drop increases dramatically.
Additionally, the speed of the air increases, meaning that the air is in
contact with the desiccant for less time, which results in less effective
drying and an increased PDP
The additional air speed also disrupts the desiccant bead and causes
channels to be formed - resulting in less effective drying. The extra
friction also reduces the desiccant lifetime.
Up-rating the dryer for a lower inlet temperature means that after 3
minutes the desiccant bed is saturated as normal. However, the purge air
is also cooler than normal, meaning that it has less capacity to hold water.
The purge flow (nozzle) is sized based on a purge air temp of 35C,
meaning that if the temperature of the air is only 30C, it will not have the
capacity to dry the desiccant bed.

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